Various types of small-size nonvolatile memory cards are utilized as memory medium for, use in portable digital equipment such as portable phones or digital cameras and also for use in desktop digital equipment such as personal computers or printers. Representative examples include Multi Media Card (registered trademark); SD Card (registered trademark), miniSD Card (registered trademark), xD-Picture Card (registered trademark), MemoryStick (registered trademark), Compact Flash (registered trademark), microSD (registered trademark), TransFlash (registered trademark), MemoryStickPro (registered trademark), MemoryStickDuo (registered trademark), MemoryStickProDuo (registered trademark), etc.
The nonvolatile memory cards listed above are not compatible with each other in terms of control procedure, communication method, electrical characteristics, and/or the shape of the receptacle that receives a card. For example, a nonvolatile memory card of a given type (given specification) cannot be used with the receptacle designed for a nonvolatile memory card of another type (another specification).
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a related-art nonvolatile memory card 102 and memory card host apparatus 106. As shown in FIG. 11, the related-art nonvolatile memory card 102 includes only one memory card controller 112 of a given type. The memory card controller 112 conforms to a given specification, and is not compatible with a memory card host controller 110 conforming to a different specification.
As shown in FIG. 11, a card receptacle 108 that is coupled to the memory card host controller 110 conforming to a given specification is designed such as to receive a nonvolatile memory card 102 having a matching configuration. If the specification of the nonvolatile memory card 102 differs from the specification of the card receptacle 108 that is coupled to the memory card host controller 110, the nonvolatile memory card 102 cannot be inserted into card receptacle 108.
Several types of memory card adapters are available for the purpose of connecting the nonvolatile memory card 102 conforming to a given specification to the memory card host apparatus 106 conforming to a different specification. However, a memory card adapter of a given type can only be used to provide a connection for one combination of a memory card host apparatus 106 and a nonvolatile memory card 102. Namely, the use of memory card adapters may not be so effective unless memory card adapters are provided as many as there are different combinations between the memory card host apparatus 106 and the nonvolatile memory card 102.
The inventions disclosed in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 utilize memory card adapters. These memory card adapters do not have a nonvolatile memory card controller embedded therein, and do not have the switch for switching nonvolatile memory card controllers provided in a nonvolatile memory card. In the inventions disclosed in Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, and Patent Document 6, a data transmission method converter is implemented in a nonvolatile memory card host controller. However, no memory card adapter is used. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 7 utilizes a memory card adapter, and a data transmission method converter is implemented.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-032715    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3094263    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-196603    [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-73522    [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-186582    [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-110255    [Patent Document 7] Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3091910
Accordingly, there is a need for a nonvolatile memory card that can be used with various types of memory card host controllers conforming to different specifications.